1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a visor. More specifically, the invention relates to a visor that can be moved across a window in addition to being rotated in front of or away from a window.
2. Description of Related Art
Drivers or pilots of vehicles can be momentarily blinded or otherwise have their view obstructed by direct light or glare from light. The light source may be the sun or artificial lights for example street lights, headlights, spotlights, or the like. These moments of blindness can be dangerous, perhaps even leading to accidents, as the operation of many vehicles requires the driver or pilot to be able to visually detect the path to be followed, i.e., the road, waterway, or skyway, and obstructions in that path.
Visors have long been used in vehicles to help protect drivers and pilots from these moments of blindness. Conventional visors are made of opaque material and rotate about a fixed axis, with one end of the axis removably attached to the vehicle and the other end of the axis rotatably fixed to the vehicle. The visor may be rotated to a first, stowed position where the window is completely unobstructed by the visor. The visor may also be rotated to a second, shielding position where the window partially blocks the window to block the blinding or glaring light from passing through the window to inhibit the vision of the driver or pilot. In some instances, the removably attached end of the axis visor may be pulled free from the vehicle so that the visor may be rotated about the rotatably attached end of the visor to shield a side window. Additionally, the visor may include an extendable portion that the user may draw out of the main portion of the visor to shield a greater portion of the window.
If the visor is made of an opaque material, then the view through the window is blocked in addition to the light source and/or glare. Some visors may be made of a tinted translucent or substantially transparent material, similar to the material for sunglasses, so that the view of the path is not blocked when the light source and/or glare is blocked. Some opaque visors are made smaller than translucent visors so that a smaller total area of the field of view is blocked when the visor is being used.
When using a vehicle, the vehicle typically does not follow a straight line path with respect to a light source as light sources, for example the sun and lights from other vehicles, move over time. Therefore, the position of the light source with respect to the vehicle may change. A visor may effectively block the light source and/or glare at an initial time, but when the position of the light source changes or orientation of the vehicle changes, the visor may be able to only partially block the blinding or glaring light. This effect is particularly problematic in flying vehicles, where even minor changes in the relative positions of the sun and the vehicle may shift the blinding spot and/or glare spot. This effect is also enhanced when a pilot or operator is using the sun for navigational purposes.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a visor capable of being positioned at multiple locations along the field of view so that the placement of the visor may be more precisely selected.